China's Lunar Calendar 2018 11-26

Click here for the introduction to the Round and Square series "Calendars and Almanacs" 

⇦⇦⇦⇦⇦ From right to left: ⇦⇦⇦⇦
11/28...............................................................................................................11/21

This is one in a never-ending series—following the movements of the calendar—in Round and Square perpetuity. It is today's date in the Chinese lunar-solar (or "luni-solar" calendar; I call it the "lunar" calendar in order to distinguish it from the kinds of calendars most Westerners use. It has a basic translation and minimal interpretation. Unless you have been studying calendars (and Chinese culture) for many years, you will likely find yourself asking "what does that mean?" I would caution that "it" doesn't "mean" any one thing. There are clusters of meaning, and they require patience, reflection, careful reading, and, well, a little bit of ethnographic fieldwork. The best place to start is the introduction to "Calendars and Almanacs" on this blog. I teach a semester-long course on this topic and, trust me, it takes a little bit of time to get used to the lunar calendar. Some of the material is readily accessible; some of it is impenetrable, even after many years.

As time goes on, I will link all of the sections to lengthy background essays. This will take a while. In the meantime, take a look, read the introduction, and think about all of the questions that emerge from even a quick look at the calendar. You will likely find that several of the translations seem quite "fanciful" in English. I am simply trying to convey that they also sound fairly fanciful in Chinese.

Section One

Solar Calendar Date
廿
六

一期星

Eleventh Month, Twenty-Sixth Day  
Monday, November 26

————

Beneficent Stars 

(top to bottom, right to left)

益金
后匱

Golden Cupboard
Increase-Behind

Section Three
Auspicious Hours
(top to bottom, right to left) 
申辰子
凶凶中
酉巳丑 
中凶中
戌午寅
吉中吉

亥未卯
吉吉吉

23:00-01:00 In-Between
01:00-03:00 In-Between
03:00-05:00 Auspicious
05:00-07:00 Auspicious

07:00-09:00 Inauspicious
9:00-11:00 Inauspicious
11:00-13:00 In-Between
13:00-15:00 Auspicious

15:00-17:00 Inauspicious

17:00-19:00 In-Between
19:00-21:00 Auspicious
21:00-23:00 Auspicious

 ————

Section Four 
Activities to Avoid  
(top-to-bottom; right to left) 

忌
除開
服渠

Opening Sluices
Discarding Clothing

Section Five 
Cosmological Information

十
九
壬
戌
水
心
閉

Nineteenth Day (Tenth Lunar Month)

Cyclical day: renxu (59/60)

Phase (element): Water
"Constellation Personality" Cycle: Heart-Mind (5/28)
"Day Personality" Cycle: Closed (12/12)

————

Section Six

Appropriate Activities

and Miscellaneous Information  

(top-to-bottom; right to left)

宜

捕裁
捉衣
結安
網牀
補修
塞造
置動
產土
重

喪
血上
支兀

 ———— 

Appropriate Activities
Cutting-out Clothing (Tailoring)
Positioning Beds
Repairing and Constructing
Moving Soil
Seizing and Capturing
Binding Nets
Patching and Plugging
Setting-up Production

Repeat Mourning

Baleful Asterisms

Upper Amputee
Blood Branch

 ————

白 地

White, Earth
 ————

Section Eight 
Miscellaneous Activities

倉

栖 庫

Granary

Perch, Storehouse